Because of the technology available to us, information travels at great speed. Truth, misinformation and assumptions also travel quickly. Without clear communication and connection between individuals and groups the misinformation can give impetus to the wrong direction or wrong conclusions about moving forward. Today’s business teams are globally located in different time zones with differing cultural norms. However, I have found it’s not the only situation in which quality communication and connection are difficult. This problem has been present even when teams are located in the same building. What is needed is a change in leadership mindset; the adoption of a different perspective and a reordering of priorities that support quality communication, collaboration and engagement throughout the organization

It is critically important that executives be more than just the boss, they must be a role model for leadership in order to motivate and drive their organization to achieve at a higher level.

Here’s what I mean:

When You’re Just the Boss

The boss is someone who sets the strategic plan and the team does what they can to satisfy and deliver results. Communication goes on without true connection because each person has a hidden agenda that is not approached. The hidden agenda of the team is to maintain their position and to hope that the boss will notice what they do. The agenda of the boss is to have the implementation happen and for the team to do what they are told to do. Communication and follow up does not occur so the team wonders if they are right about the conclusions they make.

This may seem to be an extreme scenario; and most bosses would deny that is their position. However, it is quite often what is experienced by the team, regardless of the boss’s intent.

In my experience working with leadership teams, while the boss is at least somewhat appreciative of the team, they often complain that their team does not own the strategy or are not strategic in their thinking. Yet, it is often the boss who needs to connect in a more meaningful way with the team members to engage them in the strategy, foster ownership, and get them thinking of creative solutions. Team members typically report their boss does not create time for interaction or follow up on decisions.

Most team members want to please the boss, however, they are not informed often enough when they do something well. When issues or concerns arise they may not be approached and resolved in a productive way because blame or a sense of being patronized is what is perceived by the team.

Result: the strategic process misses the creative input of the team who are often vying for position with the boss. Often what needs to be done is seen as a requirement rather than a creative opportunity because the team has not been engaged. Because there is lack of communication regarding issues or completions, the flow of work is interrupted or stalled.

This can occur at high levels in any organization.

When You’re The Leader

Communication and connection with the team is seen as a priority, not a soft skill or something to do at a dinner or a party. Regular connections occur which relate to strategic planning, implementation and individual development. This means that regular 1:1 meetings include the elements that go into a Performance Review, on an ongoing basis, and are tied to specific actions and results within a strategic plan.

The top priority of a leader is to hold the vision and strategy intact, while others bring forward results. If there are issues regarding results, they are addressed with the team as they occur. This allows the leader to attend to their own peer-leader relationships, enhancing the overall business performance of the organization. Delegation is seen as a priority, and there are integral processes set up for Strategic Planning, Accountability, and Solutions that are inclusive in accessing the resources of the entire team.

As a leader, the accountability process becomes a working solution with collaboration and partnership rather than competition. Accountability includes ownership which is established at the beginning of an initiative or set of goals. Leadership includes perceptiveness of the team members so that specific areas are addressed when necessary. This can now be done more effectively because time has been given for the creation of quality connection and trust within the team.

Leading inspires others to achieve more. Being just the boss can actually impair the engagement process of your team which will diminish progress, and sabotage your success.

If you have a leadership question or challenge you’d like to share, be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you!

~Patricia

Stage I:  The Change: The Event

Often organizational announcements are made without any plan for moving through the process of letting go of the old processes and bringing in the new. Meetings with those who work together are essential during this time so that new methodologies can be created. Often these meetings are about rumors and fears without much planning involved. It is important that the leadership take time to make the necessary announcements about what will change, and what will stay the same, so that some of the fear can be acknowledged and addressed. Naturally the change will negatively affect some, so following through with these people when the changes take place is extremely important. Often at the beginning, and toward the middle of the change process, uncertainty does not abate because of the lack of communication. If a process for letting go and clarity about moving forward is intentionally directed, it can make a huge difference.

A clear example is an acquisition whereby a much larger company buys a smaller one and begins the process of melding the staffs, letting some go, shifting leadership and creating a new organizational model. This process takes time, but often the lack of communication and development begins as soon as the change has been made, resulting in confusion and an environment of fear. The need for clearly defining what will be let go and what will remain is very important to convey to employees at the beginning, but is typically not done. The processes for changing roles and behavior cannot begin until this is communicated.

Stage II: The Transition Period

As the change moves forward, the Transition or neutral period is the most important focus for successful change and is often neglected. There is a period of less activity and focus toward goals as the organization adjusts. The good news is that by giving permission to your team(s) to look for new ways of doing things and relating, leadership peers can take more time to create new initiatives for achieving results.

Intentional communication is necessary so that the adjustment period (Stage II) is an accepted change mechanism. During this period, as people adjust, it is important to have intentional conversations in order to create greater opportunity for innovation.

Stage III.  The New Beginning

The new beginning is more than just a new start because it requires that new processes and relationships are put in place and brought about through intentional communication.

This stage can only begin in full when the first two stages have been successfully implemented. At this point not every problem or issue will be resolved, but it does mean that the change is moving forward and requiring new behaviors for everyone.

Because of the continued, intentional communication and devotion to adjusting and creating new processes, new relationships are formed, geared toward implementing the new behaviors required to create new results.

If you are moving through the changes described, consider planning specific meetings with teams in the organization to clearly define what needs letting go, what adjustments are needed to move forward, and what new behaviors are needed, replacing the old. Leadership can only implement new processes successfully when everyone is engaged in the change, and given the chance to let go, adjust and create a new beginning.

Do you have a question, challenge, or success you would like to share? Please be sure to leave a comment. I would enjoy hearing from you! – Patricia

In my last post I talked about connections and about how connections are so powerful for creating results in business and especially in the implementation of strategic plans.

I would like to talk today about the relationship between making connections, using time and energy to perfect that ability, and your overall personal effectiveness.

For many years I conducted seminars with medium to large groups of people. During that time I discovered that personal effectiveness and personal growth happen much more quickly when people are interacting with one another. I think that has been the seed for me in choosing to devote this part of my career to team development and to what I call collaborative leadership.

My passion has to do with collaboration and the great value that exists in communication, connection and relationship. My perspective is that if we learn to connect and to communicate in teams, greater results and success will come forward. I also think that making the connections that are necessary for effective and essential collaboration creates the climate for high performance, both individually and as a team.

Our collaborative leadership approach uses team development and partnerships to increase performance and accountability. Part of the process is called Team Leadership coaching for personal effectiveness. The theory is that each team can be a team of leaders.

The premise for this perspective is that Leadership is a set of behaviors rather than a role and therefore can be developed both in the team and with individual team leadership coaching.

Recently I coached a top leader who began to become more personally effective in several areas when she spent more time evaluating how she was leading her team. In addition, learning to relate to her peers and to manage up began to create a stronger brand. A personal brand becomes essential as people move up in organizations, and it becomes increasingly important for people to know who you are and how you view things.

So coaching begins to create methodology for relating and for communicating clearly and effectively. You may have noticed however that communication is not the total answer. The thing that creates the ability to collaborate and to think creatively for innovation is the ability to connect with others. Holding back opinions or neglecting to communicate a perspective can create an unspoken disconnect that can be difficult to overcome.

I remember another man that I coached as part of a collaborative leadership team who was in charge of IT in a technical organization. He thought that he did not need to share perspective in a meeting if he was repeating what had already been said. As we worked together he realized that one of his difficulties in connecting was that people did not know what he thought. That is a powerful reason for sharing perspective, so people will know where you stand. Then they have a way to approach and to connect with you.

Here are some steps for creating greater connection with your peers and with the members of your team:

1. In meetings always give your perspective even if it has been said before. If it is exactly like someone else’s, then agree and say why.
2. As a leader of a team be sure and give your perspective. This can be done after asking for other’s perspectives. However, if you have a bias and/or a decision that needs to be made, it is important for you to give your position as the leader and to invite discussion.
3. As a leader, make sure to ask for opinions and ideas delaying analysis until all have expressed.
4. Encourage honesty if there is disagreement. Often engagement does not happen if disagreement shows up after the meeting and is not shared with everyone

I hope some of these suggestions can be implemented so that you can see how well they work. Please leave a comment if you have questions or would like to discuss further.  I’d enjoy hearing from you!

PSS: Stay on the lookout for my forthcoming book, publishing soon; Jump from the I-Pod to the We-Pod: Breaking through the Barriers to Essential Collaboration for Business Success.

The concept of the We-Pod is important because it’s created by individuals who have been spending a large percentage of time in an I-Pod. When they come together, learn more about each other, and agree to share accountability, each person improves as a communicator and problem solver. The We-Pod gives rise to greater creativity, high performance, and innovation. In the current climate, the success of a team is more important than ever.

When strategic planning is narrowly confined to profit, revenue and targets, it is difficult, at times, to get full engagement and ownership of goals. The important thing is to start at a high level, with an overview that includes visioning of both the results, as well as the teams’ participation in those results. This also includes a clear vision and mission that inspires the work, resources and time spent fulfilling goals. Inspiration is much easier to create in the We-Pod as collaborative leaders.

Use this high-level strategic process to jump-start your next planning process. The four engagement questions below require a high-level of engagement from all team members. More specific strategic goals can be created that include implementation steps once the answers to these questions are on the table.

1. Creating the Future—What Behaviors Do We Want to Bring Forward?

 This question begins the process of greater engagement and allows for a focus on behavior in the leadership group, as well as staff who interact with internal and external customers. Often our behavior is not a part of planning and yet it is the very core of getting the necessary strategic results, but is overlooked as a “no brainer.”

In an offsite with a global client, during the discussion of this question, she brought up not only their leadership behaviors, but also the behaviors of team members, one or two levels down, who would be creating the results; their interactive style, time spent in connection, and their overall engagement in the vision of the new environment when results were accomplished.

2. Expanding the Brand—Who Are We and Where Are We Going?

Create a vision for the future; for instance, what will your team look like by the end of the year, at the end of next year and possibly up to 3 years in the future.  Organizations are changing so fast today to adapt to the current business environment that going any further is not effective.

Take a look at look at business results, processes and communication locally, regionally and across the organization. Promote consistency of goals and the discussion of each person’s interpretation of these goals. Communication of this vision will override assumptions and create engagement that leads to results.

3. Investing in People—What Are the Important Values and Are They Aligned?

Identify, establish and communicate core values by which business will be done: communicate to your team how these values are to be shown and communicated to your customers and internal colleagues; encourage open discussion to maximize team alignment and buy-in.

4. The Essential Elements for Growing the Business – What Values are Important to Our Customer?

This is so important; often, over time, organizational goals are not in alignment with their customer; to their changing values, nor sensitive to the human interaction necessary to create the level of satisfaction that brings success. Make sure you are listening to what your customers are saying and asking of you.

This is on aspect of the Collaborative Leadership Process that creates the We-Pod value. Stay tuned for more information on implementation and team steps for moving forward.

* Thanks to Judith Glaser – Creating We for the original questions that inspired this writing.

There are four aspects of culture and culture change that can be affected by daily behavior changes:

• Proactive vs. Reactive
• Focus vs. Interruptions and Distractions
• Alignment and Collaboration vs. Competition
• Implementing Strategic Goals

Today I am focusing on Proactive vs. Reactive cultures.

Many executives define their culture as reactive vs. proactive and express a desire for more proactive thinking. In order to have this occur, a simple set of changes across the leadership stream can often make a big difference.

At present, many have developed cultures of interruption which consist of constant e-mail checking, drop-ins or drive-bys and a sense that every issue must be dealt with immediately. This creates a lack of focus on projects and a sense of overwhelm. These patterns start at the top executive level and can be changed within the entire organization when the mandate comes from the top both in words and actions. As we all know, behavior change is a challenge so creating processes for this change from the top down is vital.

When the job description of the CEO is given it always includes proactive thinking and networking with other executives to create cutting edge business practices. With a reactive culture, the top executive is often caught up in internal affairs so that priorities are often delayed and time for visioning is lost.

Just the daily pattern of coming to the office, opening the computer and immediately being drawn into the inbox creates the reactive pattern. Often planned work, meetings or projects can be overruled by the contents of an e-mail. Just the simple act of bringing up the calendar first can begin the change to proactive thinking.

Stay tuned for more information on Focus vs. Interruptions and Distractions cultures.  If you have questions or would like to contribute to the discussion, I would enjoy hearing from you.  Please be sure to post a comment. For more information on creating cultural change within your organization visit bridgingassociates.com